Burglar alarm



Uhl? FTF@ FREEMAN C. ROBINSON AND JOHN F. J'COBY, 0F MINNEAPOLIS, l.

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SIGNORS TO 0. IB. MCCLNTOCK GOMJFANY, .OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, A.@QE- PTION F MINNESGTA.

Application filedDecember 22, 1919. Serial No. 846,5.

T 0 all whom t lmay concern.'

Be it known that we, FREEMAN C. ROBIN- soN and JOHN F. JAooBY, citizensof the United States, residents of Minneapolis, county of Hennepin,State of Minnesota,

have invented certainA new .and useful Improvements ii'B'iiglar Alarms,of which the following is a specification.

In banks and business houses where daylight robberies orholdups are aptto occur, i

devices have been provided to be operated by the foot of a bank telleror cashier or other person for the purpose o closing an electric circuitand sounding a distant alarm Y1&3 to warn police officials or othersthan a robbery is taking place in the building where the alarm mechanismis located. This alarm device actuated usually by the downward movementof a button has been objection 39 able, as it is likely to beoperatedvunintentionally, as when a person might accidentally press thefoot upon the alarm pedal or. button connected with the alarm. Sometimesalarms o this kind have vbeen put in operation by a dog lying down onthe alarm button or pedal and actuating it sufficiently to closetheelectric' circuit. The danger of thus inadvertently sounding the valarmin a bank or other building so equipped has led to the discontinuance ofthe use of such devices on the part of the owner.

The object of our invention is to provide a device to be actuated by thefoot of a teller,

clerk or other person and so arranged or constructed that resting thefoot on the same or a downward pressure or'a blow will have no effectwhatever on the closing mechanism.

@ther objects of the invention will appearv from .the following detaileddescription.

The invention consists generally in various constructions andcombinations, all as hereinafter described and particularly pointed outin the claims.

ln the accompanying drawings'torming part of this specification,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the alarm device showing the manner ofoperating it with the foot to close the circuit,

Figure 2 isa sectional/ view on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, showing thedevice in its operative position with the circuit broken,

Figure 3 is a view showing the device its inoperative position, withthe, circuit open,

, Y Figure 4 is a similarview with the device operated and the circuitclosed,

Figure 5 is a sectional view online 5-5 of Figure 3.

In the drawing, 2 represents the floor of a room where the device isinstalled. 3 represents posts havin a flanged base 4 adapted to restupon the oor and secured thereto by suitable means, such as screws 5.The

pin 7 is lnsulating bushing 6.- A conducting vpro'ec'ts mounted in thewall of the post an through the insulation 6 and is presse inposts 3 arehollow and are provided with an is inactive. The stud vhas a flange 11at its 'lower end and a sound-deadening washer 12 is seated on thisflange in position to siliently stop theupward movement of the-stud 9and the parts attached thereto when the ,stud is raised. A pin 13 istapped into the 'lower end of the stud, securing the insulation 10 andthe flange 11 in place and is slidable in the hole 14 in the floor andforms an electrical connection between the stud 9, flange 11 andelectrical circuit A15 leading toa suitable signalling device 16 locatedat any suitable point, preferably at a distance from the room to bearded.

16 is a' 'similar conductor which We have shown preferablyconnected tothe base of the post. The upper end of the stud 9 projects into thecylindrical foot rail 17 and is secured thereto by suitable means, suchas a screw 18. The post at the other end of the rail is equipped in asimilar manner and its Studis connectedto the rail in the same manner asdescribed with reference to Figure 2. Normally, the circuit will bebroken at the point where the pin 7 contacts with `the insulation 10 andthe rail being in its deness house wishes to sound the alarm, the en*being inserted -iinder the rail, as shown in that there'will he sucientclearance het/Ween it and the top of the shoe to allow the clerk.,

cashier, or other person standing or seated at the counter to easilyslip the toot under the rail and it such person is ordered to throw uphis Ahands hy a robher he can in the act of straightening up, `Whilestanding or it' seated in a chair, at the same time that his hands arethrown up, tilt his Jyfoot slightly on the heel, suciently to raise therail and close the circuit vvhile no movement to produce such resultcould he noticed hy the rohher. The action ot the. toot `would he soslight that the only movement ot the leg noticeable would loe thatincidental to the straightening up ot the body hr the throwing up of thehands in compliance with the command oif`the robber. Devices that refnire pressure ot the toot or are operated hy t e knee demand a forwardor lifting movement or a hand action of such a nature and extent that itis likely to he instantly detected b" the robber., who of course wouldimmediately shoot the person so attempting to operate the alarm. @urinvention is so contrived that the mere act o2? tilting the hotly hackor throwing up the hands allows or provides `lor the simultaneoustilting ot the foot snhficient to raise the rail and close the circuit.lt is ohviouslyoi3 great importance that the alarm should he easily andsilently operated 'with no extra movement or ettort messes on the partot the person in the bank, and our experiments have demonstrated thatthis rail can he raised with a slight movement ot the toot and such amovement that can not he detected hy the erson attempting to commit therohhery. 'lll e alarm, of course, would he sounded at a distance so thatthe robber would not in any Way connect the act of the person throwingup his hands with the sounding the alarm.

A feature of importance in this device is that when the rail is raisedand the circuit closed, the alarm will besounded continuously until thecurrent is broken by the mannal return of the rail to its normalposition.

We claim as our invention:

l. A device of the class described comprising a foot rail, guidessupporting said ioot rail a Suiicient'distance from `the Hoor to allowthe insertion of the toe of the loot between the tloor and the rail,tilting oi the foot on the heel engaging the toevvith and lifting saidrail, said rail and. guides having opposing contact surfaces and saidrail in its normal position orming a non-depressible :toot rest.

2. A circuit closer comprising a toot rail and a stud thereoma guidewherein said stud is vertically slidalole, said rail losing normallysupported a suitable distance :from the door to allow the insertion ofthe toe ot the foot between the rail and the floor, tilting of the tooton the heel engagging` the toe with and lifting saidy rail and slidingsaid stud in its guide, said stud and guide having opposing contactsurfaces and said rail in its normal position forming a non-depressiloletoot rest.

ln Witness whereof9 we have hereunto set our hands this i6 day ontDecember, 1919.

FREEMAN C. RGBNSUN. JUHN JACBY.

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